Fisheries and Wildlife Technology, A.A.S.
In order to meet the environmental challenges of today, it is necessary to have fisheries and wildlife technicians educated in natural resource management. Our curriculum is designed to train technicians to work with professional fish and wildlife biologists in the field and in laboratories of both public and private fish and wildlife agencies, and to provide a strong academic program for students planning to pursue higher degrees.
The college's natural setting provides students with an "outdoor laboratory". Numerous lakes, ponds, streams, and forested areas are close at hand and are regularly used for field work. The largest and most diverse academic aquaculture facilities in the northeast, including a 40,000 gallon coldwater fish hatchery, quarantine hatchery, tropical fish hatchery, tank farm, and earthen growout ponds. The college offers field experiences at a fully-equipped biological field station on Otsego Lake, Cooperstown, in cooperation with SUNY Oneonta. Additional marine field experiences take place at SUNY Stony Brook's Marine Sciences Research Center.
Equipment in fisheries and wildlife technology includes advanced water quality testing apparatus; biotelemetry, mapping and fish and wildlife survey equipment; and an extensive museum collection of fish and wildlife species. Students have opportunities to conduct independent research on fish or wildlife populations and habitats.
The Fisheries and Wildlife Technology program places an emphasis on hands-on learning. Within most classes students participate in a wide variety of activities very similar to those they will conduct when they join the profession. Examples of activities include radio-tracking wildlife, capture and marking of wildlife, identification of animal sign, and habitat assessment surveys.
Several classes include independent field projects where students can conduct specialized studies of their choice in great depth. Examples of these studies have included capturing and placing radio transmitters on animals, conducting wildlife or habitat surveys, conducting field studies for conservation groups, working with wildlife rehabilitators, etc.
